Uber eyes Chinese firms for robotaxi expansion

Uber has deepened its ties with China's leading autonomous driving companies as the US-based ride-hailing giant prepares to deploy robotaxi services across international markets.

Analysts said the move underscores how Chinese firms are emerging as key players in the race to commercialize driverless mobility on a global scale.

In a series of strategic announcements, Momenta, Pony.ai and WeRide have each struck deals with the US ride-hailing group to bring self-driving vehicles onto the Uber platform, with services slated to launch in regions including Europe and the Middle East.

Momenta, backed by investors such as Mercedes-Benz and SAIC, said on May 3 it would begin rolling out robotaxi services on the Uber network in early 2026, starting in Europe.

The initial deployments will include safety operators onboard. "This partnership completes a critical piece of our global scaling puzzle," said Cao Xudong, Momenta's founder and CEO.

"We will integrate our autonomous technology into mass-production vehicles and deliver it efficiently to international markets," said Cao.

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi described the deal as a significant step toward delivering "more reliable and affordable autonomous mobility" to users worldwide, adding that the companies will combine Momenta's AI-driven driving stack with Uber's global reach and operational experience.

Just days later, Toyota-backed Pony.ai announced a similar agreement. Its robotaxis will begin operating on Uber's platform in the Middle East from the second half of this year.

"This is a key milestone in Pony.ai's global strategy," said CEO James Peng.

Pony.ai, which unveiled its seventh-generation automotive-grade system at the Shanghai auto show in April, said the Uber collaboration would allow it to scale operations while maintaining cost efficiency.

The seventh-generation robotaxi solution, with a designed life of 10 years or 600,000 kilometers, features a 70 percent reduction in hardware costs compared with the previous edition, said the autonomous driving firm.

According to the companies, Uber users in selected markets will soon be able to book Pony.ai robotaxis directly through the app.

WeRide, another major player in China's autonomous driving ecosystem, announced on May 6 that it would expand its existing cooperation with Uber to 15 additional cities outside China and the US over the next five years.

The two companies started their cooperation in September 2024, then launched commercial robotaxi operations in Abu Dhabi in December, with the fleet to include 50 vehicles by mid-2025.

WeRide and Uber expanded their partnership to cover Dubai in April.

"We are taking this partnership to a new level," said Tony Han, CEO of WeRide. "This reflects our joint ambition to make autonomous mobility accessible and affordable across the globe."

The flurry of announcements signals a new phase in the globalization of China's autonomous driving sector, said analysts.

For Uber, which has wound down its own in-house autonomous driving unit, the partnerships represent a strategic bet on outsourcing core technology while focusing on network scale and user engagement.

According to the McKinsey Center for Future Mobility, robotaxis are expected to become commercially available on a large scale by 2030.

"First, it must be affordable for consumers, but at the same time, it also needs to be profitable for service providers," said Philipp Kampshoff, a senior partner at McKinsey.